


What Do You Want?

by Spideyfan62



Category: Spider-Man (Video Game 2018), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety, Big Brother Peter Parker, College Talk, Gen, Little Brother Miles Morales, Miles Needs Some Guidance, POV Peter Parker, Peter Is There To Give It, Post-Spider-Man PS4, Post-Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27815407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62
Summary: Hello?" Peter answered."Hey Pete," came Miles's voice. "I was wondering...wait, did I call at a bad time?""Oh no, not at all, just handling a situation at the docks," Peter replied calmly. Nine years of experience allowed him to call busting an illegal weapons shipment involving 20 or more Wilson Fisk goons that were all armed with firepower of their own whatever he wanted. Well, at least it had taught him how to multitask. "Just about wrapping up actually. What's up?""I was wondering if we could grab some late night pizza and talk, maybe?" Miles asked. "I've just got something on my mind that I'd like your perspective on."
Relationships: Miles Morales & Peter Parker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	What Do You Want?

**Author's Note:**

> In this story: Peter gives Miles some advice on how to face a decision he'll soon have to make.

"Hello?" Peter answered. 

"Hey Pete," came Miles's voice. "I was wondering...wait, did I call at a bad time?" 

"Oh no, not at all, just handling a situation at the docks," Peter replied calmly. Nine years of experience allowed him to call busting an illegal weapons shipment involving 20 or more Wilson Fisk goons that were all armed with firepower of their own whatever he wanted. Well, at least it had taught him how to multitask. "Just about wrapping up actually. What's up?"

"I was wondering if we could grab some late night pizza and talk, maybe?" Miles asked. "I've just got something on my mind that I'd like your perspective on." 

"Sure man," Peter replied as he yanked a gun away from a goon with his web before promptly kicking it back at the man's head, knocking him out. "You know I can always go for some pizza. Meet at that new Eddie's Pizza in Harlem?" 

"Sounds good man," Miles replied. 

"Great; I'm about wrapped up here, so I'll see you as soon as I can afterwords," Peter said. 

"Okay, awesome," Miles replied. "And thanks man. I appreciate this." 

"Not a problem; see you soon!" Peter insisted as he locked his legs underneath the shoulders of a thug, flipping back and slamming him into the ground. He sprung up, ready for the next challenger, only to find the guy he had just taken out was the last one. Hearing sirens coming from a distance, he leapt up into the air, shooting a web at the best point, and soon he was off towards his apartment to grab a change of clothes. He couldn't lie, pizza sounded really good right now, especially Eddie's. It had been a busy patrol, plus he hadn't ate much that day to begin with. 

Despite these things, his mind kept coming back to the fact that Miles wanted to talk. What could he want to talk about? Things for the most part seemed to be going about as good for his partner in...okay, the traditional expression doesn't work, but you get the point. The kid seemed to have being Spider-Man down at a faster pace than Peter did when he was Miles's age, and he was excelling at school while still making time for F.E.A.S.T. Maybe it was about that girl he'd seen him bringing to the shelter with him a few times recently? Peter's relationship with Mary Jane was as strong as it ever was, but he'd also made a lot of mistakes due to his protective and worrisome nature, so he wasn't sure how qualified he was to give advice on that front. 

Really, he'd just hit the jackpot, and that was all there was to it.

He decided to give up on speculating, instead letting his mind dwell on the delicious pizza he would be consuming shortly. 

\---

"This is really hitting the spot," Peter remarked as he downed his fourth slice of pizza in not even two minutes. He was grateful to be around someone who understood what having such an enhanced metabolism was like. Often times, Miles would actually be eating even faster than he would be, probably because his powers were still developing with the rest of his body. Today, however, the boy wasn't exactly on a tear, having only made it through a little over a slice. 

"Hey man, you alright?" Peter asked, setting down the slice he was about to dig into. "You seem a little distracted." 

"Yeah, I'm okay," Miles replied, though Peter wasn't too convinced by his somewhat dejected tone. "It's just...did you always know what you wanted to do in life?" 

Well, Peter certainly hadn't been expecting that. 

"I had a pretty good idea at least, yeah," he answered. "I always knew I loved science and wanted to do research of some kind." 

Miles must've given up on eating for now as he set down the slice in his hand slowly. 

"I'm trying to figure out this whole college thing, where I want to go, ya know?" Miles said. "There's just so many options though, and each one brings more questions." 

Peter leaned back in his seat as he took in what Miles was saying. Honestly, given that Miles only had a little more than half a semester left of high school, he shouldn't have been surprised. 

"How many schools are you looking at?" he asked, trying to further gain a proper assessment of the situation. 

"Uhm, like five or six maybe?" Miles said, not sounding too certain. "I've kind of lost track to be honest. There's just so many possibilities out there! Ganke has already had his mind made up since he was like 10; I have no idea how. He says I should stay close by with him, but mom says I should feel free to go wherever I want, and then my..."

"Miles," Peter said, leaning forward to further draw the boy's attention. "What do you want?" 

The boy looked at him, confusion written on his face. "What do you mean?" 

"For just a moment, forget what Ganke wants, and forget what your mom wants," Peter said. "What do YOU want?" 

Miles looked away for a second, his eyes narrowing in the direction of nothing in particular as he seemed to be processing Peter's question. 

"I do want to stay here," he said. "Mom and I...we need each other. I'm not ready to leave her yet. Plus, I love my neighborhood. I love Harlem, and I want to keep defending it." 

"Okay," Peter said, offering a smile. "That's a good start. You know family and community are important enough to you to motivate you to look locally. Now, how do you want to use your gifts and talents to help the world? I'm not asking the man in the mask, but the man behind the mask: what does Miles Morales want to do to make the world a better place?" 

"Honestly, I hadn't really thought about that much recently," Miles confessed after a moment. "Over the last year I've been so focused on the other side of my life that I haven't really thought that way." 

"That's one thing college will remind you of for sure," Peter said, "that what you do as Miles is just as important as the other guy. Let me tell you something you need to hear though: it's okay that you don't know that right now." 

"It is?" Miles asked, his eyes wide with surprise. 

"Oh yeah," Peter replied, "I knew some people when I was at ESU that didn't even declare a major until they were finishing up sophomore year." 

"Oh man, I hope that's not me," Miles said, sounding stressed again. 

"Some people just need more time than others," Peter said. "My encouragement to you would be to think about how you want to contribute to the world, and use that as your baseline. Do the schools your looking at fit that vision? There may not be a clear front runner; sometimes multiple options are good, and that's okay too. At least with this outlook on it, your making colleges fit into your ideas, and not the other way around."

"Huh," Miles replied, things seemingly coming together for him if his slightly more confident look was any indication. "I've never thought about it that way before." 

"That's because schools mostly just want your money," Peter said. "They all want to prove that they'll have the best experience for you and that you'll learn the most there, but when it comes down to it, you should be the one making them prove something." 

"Wow, I think that's going to help a lot!" Miles exclaimed. "Man, thanks Pete! You always seem to have the answer." 

"Ha, I wish!" Peter said through a laugh. "I'm just glad you're not asking about jobs right now. All I'd be able to tell you was that I'm right there with ya!" 

"You'll get there man," Miles encouraged. "You're too good at too many things in order to not get on somewhere!" 

Peter just smiled at the boy who he had come to see as a younger brother. He missed the days where he shared that kind of optimism. Maybe that was really why they made such a good team; he could give the practical advice from experience, and Miles reminded him of the pure, unadulterated joy to be found in life when you choose to look at the bright side every once in a while. 

"I'm sure you're right," Peter finally answered. "Hey, maybe I can start my own home renovation business! I did a pretty good job with May's old place, if I do say so myself. I could even bring you on as a partner!" 

"Thanks, but hard pass," Miles replied. "I may not be sure of what I want to do yet, but I know I definitely don't want to spend my days working on dusty houses." 

Peter laughed. "Fair enough," he replied as he grabbed the slice of pizza he'd put down earlier. "But whatever you do, I know you'll be great." 

"Thanks man," Miles said with a beaming smile as he grabbed a slice from his own pizza as well. "You too."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Continuing to pray for all you guys. Stay safe and healthy out there! 
> 
> "Better the poor whose walks is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse." Proverbs 28:6


End file.
